Abstract
Astragalus is a medicinal plant rich in phenolic compounds, saponins, and polysaccharide gum tragacanth which are potentially important in traditional medicine. This makes the plant endangered because of uncontrolled collection from nature. Plant cell culture has been carried out for the preservation of medicinal plant resources and efficient production of pharmaceutically important primary and secondary metabolites. A few species of Astragalus accumulate Selenium (Se). It is not an essential micronutrient but a beneficial for certain plants in the promotion of their growth and antioxidant activities. In the present study, first a rapid growing cell line of Astragalus gossypinus was established. Then the impact of Se on the primary (gum tragacanth production) and secondary (phenolic and saponin compounds enhancement) metabolism of suspension-cultured A. gossypinus cells was evaluated. The cells in their logarithmic growth phase were exposed to 0, 0.5 2.5, 12.5, and 62.5 µM Se in the form of sodium selenate for one week. No significant metabolic changes were observed in A. gossypinus cells up to 2.5 µM Se supply. Higher Se concentrations however significantly increased soluble sugar and amino acids contents, the total amount of exopolysaccharides, enzymatic and non-enzymatic radical scavenging system. The result showed that glutathione was the main non-enzymatic compartment that functions in an intricate network with phenolic compounds. In this network increase of oxidants scavenging capacity was initiated by caffeic acid, tannins, and phlobaphene while an increase of saponin production was triggered by salicylic acid.
Key message
This paper clarifies how Se treatment reprogrammed primary metabolism of Astragalus gossypinus cells and modulated oxidative status thereby altered phenolics and saponins and activated defense system.
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Data availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors, upon request.
Code availability
Not applicable.
Abbreviations
- DPPH:
-
2.2’Diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radicals
- CAT:
-
Catalase
- EtOAC:
-
Ethyl acetate
- EtOH:
-
Ethanol
- EPS:
-
Exopolysaccharides
- FW:
-
Fresh weight
- GPX:
-
Glutathione peroxidase
- PO:
-
Guaiacol peroxidase
- H2O2 :
-
Hydrogen peroxide
- MDA:
-
Malondialdehyde
- MeOH:
-
Methanol
- NO:
-
Nitric oxide
- PAL:
-
Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzyme
- PPO:
-
Polyphenol oxidase
- RSC:
-
Radical scavenging capacity
- GSH:
-
Reduced glutathione
- SOD:
-
Superoxide dismutase
- TCA:
-
Trichloroacetic acid
- TFA:
-
Trifluoroacetic acid
- TAL:
-
Tyrosine ammonia-lyase enzyme
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The authors would like to thank Tarbiat Modares University for providing the laboratory facilities and financial support for this project.
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NM performed the experiments, did sampling and data analysis, and wrote the primary draft of the manuscript. FG supervised the whole research work and wrote the paper. HZ-M and HAG were advisors and provided technical support.
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Maassoumi, N., Ghanati, F., Zare-Maivan, H. et al. Metabolic changes network in selenium-treated Astragalus cells derived by glutathione as a core component. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 149, 455–465 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-022-02253-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-022-02253-0